


Selective Memory

by fair_veronian



Series: 'Through Nature to Eternity [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Humor, Innuendo, Multi, Probably missed something in the tags, Swearing, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-06-10 07:16:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6945118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fair_veronian/pseuds/fair_veronian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A twist of fate has given the Doctor a new perspective, for the most part he likes it. Others aren't so pleased.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fresh Faces

**Author's Note:**

> I'm taking massive liberties with the Doctor's character arc due to the fairly substantial cannon divergence. Denial might not be a river but I'm sailing on it anyway. Again, fair warning, not Rose friendly, I honestly liked her at the time but as RTD and Moffat kept flogging the horse my enthusiasm died. Will likely be a little OOC and probably miss many a mark but hey ho, if I were better at this I'd have tried for Moffat's job. As it is, I still own nothing of the original, but I do now have chocolate biscuits to add to my socks and teapot.

Donna’s Granddad turned out to be the irrepressible Wilfred Mott, a jovial man with a too big heart sitting proudly on his sleeve and uncanny intuition hidden in wise old eyes. The Doctor liked him immensely and quickly determined that what Donna thought were drunken ravings or indicators of mental decay were in fact symptoms of a much more sinister problem. Surprisingly, Wilf, as he’d insisted on Donna’s new friends calling him, was remarkably comfortable with the idea that ‘them aliens’ were not only real, but had the potential to come in all guises. Good, bad, somewhere in between, as he said, "if the earth can produce all sorts, why not the cosmos?" The Doctor was getting an inkling as to where Donna inherited her seemingly endless compassion from but was at a loss to explain, with such a positive influence in Wilf, where the self doubt he’d seen, so deeply ingrained in her, came from. That was until he was rudely introduced to one Sylvia Noble, Donna’s mother and, the Doctor was convinced, a distant relative of the Carrionites. A surreptitious scan with his screwdriver claimed otherwise but he wasn't convinced! God the woman was a harpy! He managed, with substantial support (read elbow nudges, hand squeezes and the occasional toe stamp) from Jack, to keep his opinion to himself. Honestly though, Donna deserved a medal if that was the type of reception she typically received. 

After an excruciating hour explaining Donna’s protracted absence (under 6 months this time, a distinct improvement!) and trying to lessen the impact of Sylvia’s sharp tongue on Donna’s still brittle psyche, the Doctor and Jack excused themselves to investigate the savage Santas. Donna declined their offer for her to go with them but made sure they had her number and she had a way of contacting them. Wilf also offered his details and stated sincerely, that should "you boys ever need somewhere to doss down" his guest room was always free. His beautiful wife, God rest her, had always seen fit to welcome those in need of shelter, and, he admitted, loneliness recognises like and having two entertaining astronomy enthusiasts to spend the odd evening with would always be a pleasure. 

A sword fight on and Alien invasion ship, what else do you need for a bit of Christmas spirit the Doctor thinks? He is grateful that Jack was still deep enough within his regeneration cycle not to have been permanently maimed when his hand was severed. He’s a little disturbed by the call that they receive stating that Wilf’s collected the aforementioned severed appendage and he has it on ice should they need it back. Really, it takes all sorts indeed! Visiting with Wilf and Donna after defeating the Sycorax invasion fleet is an unusual turn of events in the Doctor’s experience. He’s used to the Jackie Tyler’s and Sylvia Nobles of the world dismissing him as a trouble magnet, not so much the Wilfred Mott's asking him for stories of distant civilisations and astronomical data not usually available to even the most dedicated of amateurs, as Wilf most surely was. 

Donna fussing over them both and checking on Jack’s hand at regular intervals is new too. He hadn't felt mothered in such a long, long time that initially he baulks at the attention. Seeing Jack relax under her ministrations so completely, and accepting Wilfs whispered “best to let her have at it lad” (Lad! ha, Wilf may look his elder but if he only knew) “makes her feel useful, you know” however, encouraged him to bask in the brief relinquishing of his responsibilities. He had a moment of epiphany where he realised that this is what he felt he was doing with Rose, but without the wilful recklessness that fuelled her adrenaline rush one moment to the next. Here he could sit back, enjoy the feeling of released tension but also have the support necessary to pick up the mantle again when needed. He’d been so desperate to avoid repeating his mistakes from the war that he’d forgotten what having friends, real, true friends, who aren't just with you because you’re a safe port in a storm or a better option than work on Monday; who had their own lives but were willing and eager to include you in them, was like. He knew he had a long way to go in the healing stakes but he could see it happening now, not just a vague concept that his future self would reap the benefits of, but a goal for this self to work towards.


	2. Wide Eyes

The Doctor had to admit, he was disappointed that Donna had declined their offer to travel with them. She had spun a tale about looking after her Gramps and being too overwhelmed by her experience for the vortex right now, making vague, half hearted assurances that she’d join them on the next one. 

“You two need a bit of alone time anyway I reckon” she’d suggested with a wink “get to know each other properly ‘n all” the accompanying grin was infectious and Jack had replied “we could get to know you too” in his best bond esque tone and her blush had her face trying to match her hair! 

For all her attitude the Doctor was fairly convinced her declining to accompany them was tied into her feelings of inadequacy, she likely thought she’d be a burden and thought staying home would be more suited to her abilities. Sighing inwardly he escorted Jack back to the TARDIS after their delicious home cooked meal, courtesy of Donna, and once he’d put them in the vortex he was thoroughly distracted by Jack's myriad talents so thoughts of Donna and how to convince her of her worth were left for another time.

After a successful, if distasteful encounter with yet another reminder of just how lackadaisical he had been during his time with Rose. (And honestly, he got it, no more loose ends he promised!...... Well, he’d try,..... this wasn’t his only incarnation not to hang around to help with the clean up. He reached subconsciously for a scarf to throw over his shoulder). Then seeing how Cassandra became the last pure human skin patch and encountering the infamous ‘face of boe’ had been satisfying in a similar way to pulling a loose thread and unravelling a jumper was. You didn't get caught on rough edges any more but you were cold without the wool covering you. The Doctor was happy to let his companion choose their next destination. His happiness was short lived when he found himself plotting coordinates for a Blockheads concert in 1979. At least, as Jack delighted in pointing out, he wouldn't need to worry about standing out in his typical outfit. His happiness returned some on seeing Jack in impossibly tight jeans, torn in very nearly indecent places and a chest hugging t shirt with Joe Strummer plastered across the front. A hint of nipple piercing showed under the thin cotton and a plaid shirt hung seductively, tied low on Jack's well proportioned hips. The eyeliner may have been a step too far in the Doctor's opinion but ‘when in Rome’ as they say. 

He slung a possessive arm over Jack's shoulders and led him out of the TARDIS to what he assumed would be an overcrowded, overly warm venue, smelling of stale beer, cigarettes and sweat. Colour him surprised then when they find themselves standing in what looks like the Scottish countryside, green as far as the eye can see and smelling considerably fresher than expected. He spins on his heels as he hears the distant approach of horses hooves on the soft ground and curses internally when he recognises the approaching coach. 

“May need to improvise a bit here Jacky boy” the Doctor mumbles, “gonna have to have a look at the temporal stabilisers when we get back, we’re ‘bout a century out I reckon” 

To his credit Jack merely raises an eyebrow, slips a hand under his t shirt, removes his nipple ring and then pulls on his overshirt buttoning it to the collar and tucking it in. Still in now way period appropriate but considerably more presentable than he had been. The Doctor chuckles to himself and buttons his own jacket in an effort to pass muster himself. 

A rather involved and extraordinary tale later, complete with convincing local accent from Jack, the boys are ensconced in a fantastical mystery centring on curses, lycanthropes, hidden genius, cults and being altogether unbelievable. The Doctor is again assaulted by visions of timelines diverging, collapsing and repairing themselves. He sees Cybermen phasing into Wilf's kitchen, a void sphere releasing hordes of Daleks over London, Rose screaming at him, and Donna, probably most confusingly of all, scuba diving in what looks like the ocean of the Spanish coast. They all settle into the background, where he dismisses them as unfulfilled potentials, while he and Jack manage to prevent some kind of tyrannical 'werewolf' monarchy. 

Convincing Queen Victoria that ignoring the potential benefits of interacting with Alien visitors is as dangerous as ignoring the perils they can bring is quite the task and again he allows Jack's innate people skills to guide him. He is gratified to learn that Her Majesty will inform her fellow world leaders that an organisation to collect and share information on extraterrestrial activity worldwide will be created here and throughout the Empire. He’s less gratified to discover this will be UNIT but, he supposes, it had to start somewhere! He is granted the Royal Seal when he is knighted Sir Doctor of TARDIS but he is also politely asked not to visit too often save his ‘unique’ approach prove detrimental to the ‘proper way of things’. All in all he can't complain over the outcome and he has to admit to being a little excited at the prospect of regaling Donna and Wilf with tales of Royal scandals and werewolves! 

His companion is subdued on their return to the TARDIS and it takes considerable persuasion (not that he’s complaining as the methods are most enjoyable for them both) to get Jack to confess that the afflicted man's comment naming him the ‘Phoenix child’ has left him uneasy. The qualifying ‘all flames are extinguished by time’ he’d aimed directly at the Doctor had worried Jack, believing it to be an omen of some kind. Warning them that their dangerous lifestyle courted death and destruction. The Doctor fumed inwardly that the vindictive nature of the ‘wolf’ had caused his young companion such distress, he also accepted some of the blame that he had spent centuries courting danger, often not stopping to witness the aftermath. Outwardly he spent a very pleasant evening convincing Jack here was here with him now and he had no intention of leaving him with the same burden he had, until recently, carried alone. Jack's euphoric cries and sated smile went a long way to healing another of the Doctor’s old wounds as well as these fresher ones.


	3. Deaf Ears

The Doctor’s desire to catch up with his odd friend group had been fulfilled pretty quickly as he receives a call from Donna, rather cryptically offering him a mystery and a surprise! Not expecting anything good (he has previous with surprises) the Doctor pilots the TARDIS to Wilf's back garden. The TARDIS welcomes the rest and soaks up the traces of rift energy flowing under the vegetable patch. The Doctor is conflicted when his surprise turns out to bet none other than Sarah Jane Smith, sitting, casually drinking tea in Wilf's living room. Donna is in the kitchen preparing another pot for the Doctor and herself. She is warily regarding a newly installed coffee maker they picked up, to accommodate Jacks preferred poison, as it gurgles its way through percolating a pot of the strong smelling brew. On entering the house Jack picked up the scent immediately and excitedly rushes through to the kitchen, hugging a momentarily stunned Donna and exclaiming his gratitude for their consideration. The group chuckle at their most youthful (in attitude anyway) members antics before Donna shoo’s him back to the living room to await the completion of the “confounded contraptions” task (Wilf's terminology, Donna’s sarcasm). 

The Doctor relaxes quickly as he realises that although Sarah Jane was undoubtedly left with some emotional scars after their last trip together she has moved on, forgiven him (more than he thinks he deserves, frankly) and has a fulfilling life here now, still saving the Earth, she just does it from her attic, and now occasionally Wilf's living room, apparently. Donna brings through the fresh drinks and explains to the Doctor how she met Sarah Jane while temping at a nearby school. Donna had noticed some peculiar goings on and had returned to the school out of hours to investigate, Sarah Jane had chosen the same night to look into some peculiar reports she’d received from Mickey Smith, (a friend of her sons, both computer whizzes apparently), who’d been working on installing some especially advanced servers at the school with much higher than needed security and networking features. ‘Sarah Jane has a son!’ the Doctor thought, and yes he was aware that snippet was not the point of their tale but still, a son! He bit down on the questions for now and focused on their story, they were going on about the chips now? 

“What’s wrong with chips for lunch?” he asked. 

‘Enforced’ chips with ‘every meal’ they answered and even he had to concede that did seem a little excessive. The Doctor had Sarah Jane call Mickey (the not so much of an idiot it turns out) to arrange meeting up and they discovered he was already at her house working on a project with Luke (the son! the Doctor adds the exclamation in his mind) Sarah Jane offers to take him round to meet them, and sensing his need for some time with his previous companion Jack happily agrees to staying with Wilf and Donna, especially as he can “smell a delicious dinner cooking” he comments cheekily. Donna swats his arm and ushers him towards the kitchen, 

“If it’s feeding you want sunshine you can earn it” the smile on her lips belies the command in her voice, “the salad wants dishing up, and the table won’t set itself”. Wilf and the Doctor chuckle as Wilf shows them out, the Doctor leaves them to it, thanking his stars again for the gifts that are Donna Noble and her ‘Gramps’. 

The Doctor is equal parts delighted and despairing when Sarah Jane explains how she moved on, rebuilt her life and adopted her son, along with the supercomputer (ex Xylock) now living in her attic. Yet another surprise comes in a much smaller package as on entering said attic he hears a familiar, 

“Master, you have regenerated again” “K9!” e exclaims, “it’s good to see you old boy, how’ve you been eh, behaving for Sarah Jane eh boy?” 

“Affirmative Master, we have been increasingly active of late though, increased off world activity has proved troublesome for the Humans” 

The Doctor chuckles, “yeah well, I’ll see what I can do about that while I’m here, OK boy” "

Affirmative Master” 

He also suggests quietly to Sarah Jane later that he give the old boy a tune up for her whilst he’s here. Mickey 'the not idiot' describes in detail the systems he installed at the school and the exact nature of the upgrades he’s fairly certain even the Government haven’t developed yet. He also takes a quiet moment while Sarah Jane is fussing over Luke to warn the Doctor about Rose’s increasingly obsessive behaviour towards him and suggests he keep a low profile when he visits the area for a while. The Doctor thanks Mickey but dismisses his worries quickly, after all, what can one teenager from 21st century Earth possibly do?

After discovering and derailing the Krillitane plot at the school the Doctor asks Sarah Jane, Donna and Mickey to join them. Sarah Jane seems nostalgic briefly before declaring she’d had her time and that Luke was her priority now, and honestly, there was enough excitement here on Earth to sate her thirst for adventure! Donna claims she enjoyed working with Sarah Jane so much she has taken up a position with UNIT. Her skills as a temp allow her to blend into so many situations and her experience with him offers a unique perspective, so much so that they practically took her arm off when Sarah Jane recommended her. 

Mickey is keen to join them, he’d set himself up to work freelance so he had no ties and he had always regretted his initial overwhelmed response to the Doctors first appearance with Rose. Sarah Jane wholeheartedly approved, stating proudly “you should always have a Smith on the TARDIS” Donna jokingly (the Doctor thinks) despaired for the Universe and made them promise to visit at least once a month so she could make sure they were all eating properly and still alive, 

“You'll be livin' on hob-nobs and pot noodles, I can see it now, the ‘Old Girl’s’ gonna think I’ve got something against her!” she mock chastised ‘her boys’ as she’d come to call them, Mickey seamlessly adding to the group without consult or protest.

After brief goodbyes, including a quick visit to the TARDIS by Donna so she can apologise in advance for inflicting the three boys on her at once, the Doctor, Jack and Mickey head off into the vortex and the world turns on without them.


	4. Silver Tongues

Mickey has nightmares about the clockwork men they encountered on the Pompadour. He is pretty impressed with Arthur though and has taken to spending his down time either tinkering under the supervision of the Doctor or Jack or riding Arthur through the impossibly large garden (more of a valley really) where the horse had chosen to stay in when the Doctor brought him onto the ship. He wonders where else a horse was likely to choose but, considering where he is he thinks it best not to wonder too much. Jack had been concerned that Reinette's attachment to the Doctor would make him jealous, without his original biology he was feeling a little self conscious, he needn't have worried. Not only did the Doctor nip her advances in the bud quickly but gently, he seemed to thoroughly enjoy proving where his heart lay on a fairly regular basis. Jack's mild insecurity offered the Doctor ample opportunity to reassure him of just how desirable he was as well as fulfilling his possessive nature to know Jack was his and his only. It was an arrangement they both enjoyed. 

Their next destination left a lot to be desired in all their opinions. Meeting the alternate Jackie had been an eye opener for both the Doctor and Mickey. More of a revelation for Mickey was meeting Jake. He was fairly certain, even if his Gran had passed on here too, staying with Jake would have been enough to make his decision. Pete declined their offer to come back with them to their universe to meet his alternate wife and daughter. They were unsurprised, it did seem a little too weird, even to them! They returned for their monthly visit early to explain Mickey's decision. Donna and Sarah Jane accepted the tale easily and although they had some concerns about his working for this ‘Torchwood’ they agreed that he had more reason to stay there than here. Again both women stayed on Earth but they sent their boys off with weeks worth of prepared meals for the freezer and a pile of clean pants. The Doctor puzzled briefly as to how fixated human women were on clean pants but saw no reason to ask, he had learnt one or two things about women over the last millennium, honestly! 

Visiting the 1950’s had seemed like it could be fun initially but after dealing with the inherent sexism, homophobia and other narrow minded prejudices of the time the Doctor felt the need to get away from Sol III for as while. Jack had no objections and they set the TARDIS to random, creating a temporary exclusion zone around the Earth just in case. As it happened, random impossible planets just hanging around on event horizons were scant improvement on small minded humans on Earth. Jack had managed to overcome one of his own demons whilst separated from the Doctor and although shaken he was feeling relatively OK by the time they returned to their beloved TARDIS. The Doctor on the other hand had been shocked to his core by the revelations the beast had led him to. When asked to name something he believed in he answered with something he truly had forgotten was possible for him, “Redemption” he had stated and as he said the word the image of Jack and Donna smiling at him from the kitchen of Wilf’s warm and welcoming home played in the front of his mind. He had smiled so brightly his cheeks were still sore and the ensuing escape was a blur in his mind as he felt his appreciation of Jack and Donna move from friend to family. 

He realised he could see his timeline intertwined with Jack's and this no longer caused fear or panic, in truth it was the opposite. He felt secure, protected and loved in a way he hadn't since we'll before the time war, if ever. He also realised why he hadn't protested Donna's mothering tendency, he liked it, honestly enjoyed feeling cared for without expectations. He didn't have to save her life, planet, or universe for her to love him, he didn't have to meet some arbitrary standard of being, she just loved him, and Jack and even Sarah Jane, the way she loved her family, because they were hers. Feeling calmer than he had in a very long time the Doctor turned his attention to the one other thing that had stuck with him from their most recent disaster, the Ood. He had seen those beings in a potential timeline he had previously dismissed yet here they were. He was worried both for their predicament and for the implications of not all of those timelines being completely defunct. He vowed to work with Jack on his telepathic shielding before risking him on a planet possibly populated by purely telepathic communicators just in case they needed to intervene somewhere.


	5. Loose Lips

Donna’s work with UNIT had situated her in a library of all places. After a crash course on the Dewey system, “mastered in 2 days!” she proudly proclaimed, she had been installed as temporary cover for the assistant librarian who had mysteriously gone missing. Several other disappearances of a less than typical nature had been linked to the library and so off Donna had gone, fake glasses in one pocket, “look the part now don’ I Gramps” she had joked when picking them up, “that you do love” had been his amused reply. Wilf worried for his favourite granddaughter going “all Matta Hari” for her work but Donna had reassured him at length that she was purely gathering intelligence, any real investigating was left to the professionals. “I’m still just a temp Gramps, turn up for a week or two somewhere, sort out the filing cabinets and move on, only now I take more notice of what’s on the forms in the cabinets, that’s all, promise” she had told him.

Rose spotted the smart looking ginger was watching her and slumped further down in the libraries large but uncomfortable sofa. ‘Dunno what she thinks she’s looking at. Probably wants to be a blonde’, she thought and scanned the room again waiting for her contact to arrive. Rose had discovered the group LINDA on-line after the Doctor had dropped her off. She had been worried that he was taking too long coming back for her before realising he had to make it look like she found him. The Shadow whosit could still be watching him she thought. As far as she was concerned she wasn’t ‘violating’ any rules if she found him on earth so she had set to looking up any and all references to the Doctor she could find. Mickey had helped at first but he soon decided he had better things to do, “Fine, just don’ expect me to ask him for you to come with us when he gets back!” she had told him, she hadn’t seen much of him since though her mum kept talking about him and his ‘computer work’, kept saying Rose should try a bit harder to be nice “‘cos husbands with good jobs don’ grow on trees you know”. ‘Husband’s!’ Rose nearly choked on her snort and a few heads popped up to give her admonishing looks, ‘she’s mental if she thinks I’m marrying Mickey. Me n the Doctor are gonna travel forever, who wants to get married!’ LINDA had some pretty weird ideas about the Doctor, Rose thought,, who changes faces like that, just confused her Doctor with some dodgy old men, he can travel in time after all, that’s why he never looks any older in his photos, that’s all. 

She was drawn from her musings by a nervous looking blonde man giving a slight cough and stating “The chase is wild when looking for Geese”. Rose looked at him blankly for a good 30 seconds before her brain caught up and she responded flatly with “ Yes but finding a Gander is just as good” she scoffed mentally, these LINDA lot were nutters! Useful to help find the Doctor but nutters all the same! Elton was a nice enough bloke, she supposed, a bit wet but that Ursula seemed to like it. Each to their own she broke off from her train of thought to quiz Elton about his efforts at some old blokes astronomy club he had been to, turns out the ol' fella was lovely but losing it a bit, lots of stories about ‘them aliens’ but not a sniff of the Doctor. Elton thought he’d been ‘embellishing’ some old war stories and probably didn’t know any more about aliens and the Doctor than anyone else. 

Donna noted the young blonde slumped on the sofa looking shifty and momentarily thought of accosting her for hanging around without even pretending to read something. ‘Probably just looking to stay out of the rain’ Donna mused before a shiver ran down her spine and a brief flash of something passed through her mind. She turned back to the blonde who was now chatting to a shy looking bloke, both of them looking decidedly out of place. Donna had spent her whole working life making gut instinct judgements and made a mental note to discretely follow the pair when they left. Cursing her luck as the pair split up outside the Library Donna flipped a mental coin and followed the girl. 

She found herself in an unused basement under a warehouse, two streets back from the library. Her gut was telling her this was not somewhere she wanted to stay and after witnessing the ‘blob’ alien swallow(?) the sweet looking woman, who’d nipped back in for her bag, like a sponge, she was sure. From her hiding place in an old storage cupboard she sent a swift text to, first the Doctor, then her UNIT team leader to alert them to an alien hostile (she’d been reminded frequently that ‘weirdo’ and ‘thing’ were not typically acceptable terms for UNIT agents, no matter how temporary their assignments. She waited a couple of minutes after the ‘blob’ (maybe some of those old B Movie directors knew the Doctor?) had left and made her way out. Heading for the car park where her mum had agreed to pick her up Donna noticed the blonde girl was back and she felt another shiver travel down her spine. Trusting her gut as always Donna snapped a quick photo of the girl whilst pretending to make a call and made another mental note to see if anything was on the files at UNIT about her.


	6. Hard Heads

Rose was furious, after all her hard work getting LINDA to tell her about their search for the Doctor she had missed him by 5 minutes! The leader of the group had been an alien using humans to feed off. Rose thought it was pretty disgusting but it was exactly the sort of thing she’d been hoping for in her search for the Doctor. She had not bargained on the bloody nosy librarian turning out to be some sort of secret agent and reporting the alien to the government before she’d had chance to show the Doctor how hard she’d been trying to find him. He’d apparently shown up to LINDA’s last meeting, stopped the alien from eating (she didn’t wanna know how) the rest of the group, offered to take the alien home, he’d said no, they always say no, she wonders why he asks sometimes? So then he’d made sure the alien couldn’t harm anyone else. 

Rose had arrived in time to see Elton snogging Ursula quite passionately whilst standing next to a pile of green goo. Elton had explained the whole scenario, including how the redhead had shouted so loudly at the ‘Absorbaloff’ he was sure he’d seen it ripple, before making his excuses and running off with Ursula stating they were gonna start up a band and give up on the alien hunting, “too much to lose” he’d said. ‘Yeah’ thought Rose, lost that chance didn’ I. She returned home in a dark mood and shouted at her mum to “leave off” when she got home to yet another “when you gonna get a job sweetheart” speech. 

Donna was puzzled by the Doctor’s terse description of the girl in the photo, “Oh, yeah, just some kid I travelled with a while back, didn’t work out” was all he’d say. She decided not to push it, he was already glum enough about having to melt the absorbawhatsit earlier and she really wanted to hear about how Jack was getting on with his telepathy. She had been shocked, and admittedly a bit creeped out at first, hearing that Jack was now, and the Doctor always had been, able to read minds. The Doctor thought she knew after her experience with the vortex but she’d told him most of those memories had faded quickly and were now as difficult to remember as those really good dreams always were. You had a sense of wanting to go back and see them again but without really knowing why. 

So, after a lengthy explanation that included several repetitions of “No Donna, I can’t see what you’re thinking of now” and “well that’s a shame spaceman cos I’d bet Jack wouldn’t mind trying it!” she felt more at ease with ‘her boys’ again and promptly forgot most of what she’d been told. ‘Keep the important bits’ “I have to be in physical contact to hear your mind” “most telepathic species are very conscientious when it comes to listening to other people’s thoughts”, “It’s just like sitting in a room with someone and you’re both reading, you know the other person’s there but you forget until they get up to put the kettle on” and ‘dump the rest’ she thought, ‘gonna run out of room up there otherwise!’ 

The Doctor hoped he’d been vague enough about Rose to put her out of Donna’s mind, there was a tale he didn’t want to tell, and relished the opportunity to distract her with an explanation of how his species, well he and Jack really, managed their telepathy. He was surprised to discover most of Donna’s experience in the vortex wasn’t remembered but, after seeing the brilliant efficiency with which her mind had cleaned up after it he supposed it was to be expected. It was for the best he thought, no one should have to carry the burden of the time war who hadn’t been there. Donna still retained certain specifics, she knew he was older than he claimed and that this incarnation had a thing for bananas for example, but she had shed the details of the final solution as easily as if it were an insurance salesman’s phone number. He had to admit he was a little jealous. 

He’d convinced her to go for a quick spin in the TARDIS with them and she had asked if they could fly past her Gramps on ‘the hill’ would give the old stargazer “something proper to stare at” she’d chuckled to them. Wilf waved excitedly at his three ‘musketeers’ from his deck chair on the allotment he maintained and whistled to himself cheerily. He had been worried about Donna putting herself in danger with this new job of hers, with her two ‘boys’ looking out for her he felt much better. 

Donna chuckled again as she closed the TARDIS doors on the view of her Gramps waving like a loon up at them. ‘I hope he took his thermos with him’ she worried, ‘it’ll be a bit nippy down there by now’. “Right then Spaceboys, where we off to?” she asked, “Don’t forget I gotta be back for Thursday. Got that appointment with my UNIT team leader to get to”. 

“Don’t fret Donna, we’ll be back with bags of time to spare. Bags of time, strange saying that, you can’t really bag time, it’s not like oranges, well maybe if oranges were a bit more, well … more, nah forget the oranges, bananas!, now there’s a fruit, king of fruit, where were we?” the Doctor rambled, Jack chuckled and Donna shook her head. 

“Who put the batteries in you today then?” she commented, “full of the joys aint ya? You been teaching him new tricks there Jack?” Donna’s grin stretched her face wide as she winked at Jack who winked right back answering smolderingly. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know Red?” Donna laughed and swatted his arm as the Doctor used his long limbs to lean around the console at a most uncomfortable looking angle, one that meant neither of his companions could see his pleased grin before turning round and attempting a sombre “now you two, behave” which just prompted more laughter from all of them. They were interrupted by the TARDIS jerking harshly to the left and while Jack and Donna flailed for a handhold the Doctor had grabbed the console edge and was scanning the readings flicking across the monitor. His brow furrowed as he read and as the TARDIS materialised with a bump he was muttering to himself about “near future’s” and personal timelines”.


	7. Nimble Fingers

Donna had been terrified when Chloe’s drawing had forced the Doctor and Jack into, well, wherever they went, she still wasn’t to clear on that, but her recent forays into undercover work with UNIT helped her settle her nerves enough to help Chloe face her demons. Poor girl, so much pain in her short life. Donna fervently hoped she could move on now, the art obviously helped and now there was no danger of her trapping her subjects in ‘doodle world’ she could sketch to her heart’s content. 

Jack was a cheeky bugger though, wangling himself into the olympic torch run like that. At least he looked the part and she mentally congratulated the Doctor on picking a….. boyfriend(?) with such well proportioned….muscles. She sighed internally, it had been a while since Donna had any sort of romantic attention and she promised herself a night out with the girls as soon as possible to exercise some long dormant….muscles of her own. 

The Doctor was worried about Donna, his usually vivacious friend had been subdued on return to the TARDIS and she hadn’t been forthcoming as to why when he’d asked. “Don’t worry yourself Doctor, just thinking ‘bout Chloe is all” she’d offered and then gone to relax in the library while he piloted them back to Chiswick. He’d asked Jack to check on her, well aware his lover had far better skills in this department than he did and was relieved to hear raucous laughter coming from their location after only 15 minutes. Now he could stop worrying about his companions he focused his thoughts on himself. 

He’d had a nagging sense of unease since the TARDIS had acted up earlier and he was convinced something big was on it’s way. Scanning the timelines proved no help and left him with the beginnings of a migraine. That in itself was not good, he was used to his own timeline being hazy, par for the course that was, but Jack’s, Donna’s, Wilf’s, even Jackie and Rose Tyler’s. He was virtually timeblind when it came to the immediate futures of his current group of human friends and acquaintances. It was an uncomfortable feeling and he didn’t like it one bit. 

“You OK Spaceman?” he was roused from his musings by Donna, and when had she come back in? She was looking at him with warmth and worry and he shook himself out of his stupor to smile back at her. 

“Yeah, just zoned out a bit there, sorry” he grinned but his eyes kept their pained expression. “Yeah, just a bit eh?” Donna soothed. “Jack, can you take over with the ‘old girl’ while I get his broodiness here a cuppa?” 

“Sure thing Red, you OK Doc?” Jack took over at the console, glancing worriedly at the Doctor. “Aye lad, you’ve been working the old man too hard is all” the Doctor gave a lecherous pout in Jack’s direction and his eyes released some of their pain. 

“Oi! None of that now Spacetarts! Let’s get you a good strong cup of chai and you can have a lie down while Jack gets me home, he can come and ‘rub your feet’ once I’m gone alright?” Donna smirked at her companions before leading the Doctor to the Galley. 

After Donna finally left with yet more instructions on how to prepare the meals she’d left in the freezer and whispered to Jack where she’d stashed the baking this time, Jack released the ‘old girl’ into the vortex. He received a reassuring hum from her that she’d stay out of trouble until they’d had a decent rest as he headed to their room to see if the Doctor did indeed want that ‘foot rub’.


	8. Healing Hands

The Doctor woke much clearer head and a comfortable weight on his chest. He reached his hand up to run it through Jack’s luxurious hair and placed a gentle kiss on his lover’s brow before attempting to slip out from under him to answer the call of nature that had woken him. Jack grumbled and turned over, stretching lazily into the vacated space. He raised himself onto one elbow and peered at the Doctor's retreating form. 

“Feeling better old man?” he asked, “Will do in a jiff” the Doctor answered and swung the bathroom door almost closed. Jack laid back grinning to himself and revelling in memories of a very successful ‘foot rub’ from the previous evening. Their gentle domestic morning was interrupted by the now familiar ringing of the mobile phone Donna had insisted they keep with them. Jack rose slowly and, dragging on a pair of pyjama bottoms, made his way to the console room where the phone sat vibrating in the console. Jack smirked to himself as he wondered if the ‘old girl’ let it keep ringing for purposes other than gaining their attention. A short, high pitched hum, sounding both insulted and embarrassed answered his question and he picked up the phone with a somewhat cautious hand. “You just let me know whenever you’re in need sexy” he whispered in the direction of the console and then hit the answer button. 

“Spacetart Escort Services” he purred into the handset after clocking the caller ID. 

“Jack, you prawn, geroff, what if it’d been Gramps eh?” Donna answered laughingly. 

“I’m sure Wilf is very open minded on the subject Donna, you shouldn’t judge so” Jack chastised just as full of mirth. 

“What am I going to do with you young man, no respect for your elders!” Donna joked. 

“I’m sure you could think of something” Jack flirted back. 

“Oh, enough of that you, I rang for a reason you know!” Donna’s voice was still light but Jack could pick up the undertone of worry. 

“Sorry mum” Jack put on his best contrite teenager voice before becoming more serious. “What’s up Donna, world ending again so soon?” He could hear Donna draw a long breath, 

“Right, now don’t laugh alright, I already did until I’d seen one with me own eyes, then, well then it aint such a barrel of laughs, and it’s got Gramps going spare, half the world thinks it’s a gift, the other half are preparing for plagues of locusts and floods.” 

“Donna!” Jack shouted, trying to stop her from hyperventilating during this meandering explanation of not very much so far. “Donna” his voice more gentle now, “OK, start at the beginning yeah, what did you see?” 

“It’s ghosts Jack, twice a day, every day, same time, same spot, ghosts fading in and out like their trying to tune in on an old telly screen. Bloody freaky, Gramps thinks it’s an alien invasion, Mum thinks Nanna’s coming back. The government are keeping schtum. They’re everywhere Jack, all over the world? We need you pair to come take a look, see if your giant brains can fathom it out, tell us one way or another. You’ll come won’t you, you will come Jack?” Donna had been speaking faster and faster, getting more breathless as she went until her final plea sounded so small and un Donna like that Jack had tears forming at the corner of his eyes. 

“Hey now Red, we’ll be there in two ticks OK, it’ll be OK, I promise, we’ll work it out yeah, the three amigos ride again! We’re coming Donna, don’t worry that gorgeous head of yours OK, we’re coming. When is it for you?”

After taking the details and further soothing his friends frayed edges Jack set the coordinates and started them on their way to pick up Donna. No wonder she was so frantic, she was on a scuba holiday in Spain, miles away from her Gramps, unable to see for herself that he was OK. The Doctor had wandered in looking freshly showered and ridiculously sexy before noticing Jack’s worried countenance and snapping to alert. Jack explained Donna’s disturbing call quickly before leaving the Doctor to manage the landing, stating that Donna was unlikely to appreciate him rocking up in his PJ’s and he was heading to get dressed. 

No sooner was Donna on board, cases already packed when they arrived, then she was giving them both a more detailed account of these Ghost visits all while pacing frantically and checking the monitor to see if they’d arrived in Wilf’s back garden. The TARDIS sent waves of calm and reassurance to her favourite human but her distress was preventing most of it from getting through. Wilf had raced out to the garden on hearing the familiar wheezing of the engines and was pushing the door open as the Doctor was pulling it. 

“Oh thank goodness you're here Doctor, it’s them aliens again, stealth invasion it is, let us all get used to them then they’ll strike. Sneaky buggers this lot” Wilf rambled as he entered the ship. As he got halfway up the ramp he was enveloped in a whirl of ginger hair and freckle clad arms. 

“Gramps!” Donna exclaimed, “you OK, you’re not hurt are you? How’s your heart? Do you need to sit down? Here sit here, there you go, oh Gramps, I was so worried”. Wilf barely had time to notice his surroundings before Donna was ushering him further into the control room and near shoving him into the jump seat. 

“I’m alright love, honest, take more than a few fuzzy aliens to scare me” Wilf patted Donna’s back in the most endearingly grandfatherly gesture the Doctor and Jack had seen in a long while as he reassured her. “Now, look, you got the Doctor here, and Jack, their gonna help sort this out, we’ll see this through my girl, c’mon now, we’re all OK look, see”. Wilf took Donna by the shoulders and she sniffed once into her sleeve before straightening, drawing a deep breath and looking him in the eye. 

“Yeah Gramps, we’re OK, I’m just a bit emotional I guess. Mum had a right go when I rang her earlier, she thought I wanted us all to be miserable ‘cos I didn’t believe it was Nanna in your kitchen. She said I should stay away if I wasn’t going to believe it so the ghosts wouldn’t be put off by my lack of faith”. 

“Oh, Donna love, don’t you mind her, she misses her mum, so do I, she’s just coping different to us is all, she’ll be right enough once we sort this out, you’ll see”. Jack and the Doctor had stayed back during the emotional display but the Doctor felt the need to act and made his way to the pair to try and move things along. 

“Donna, Wilf, sorry to butt in but we need to figure out what’s happening here and to do that I need to get the old girl into the vortex so I can scan for alien ships, temporal disturbances and the like. Why don’t you two head to the galley and put the kettle on yeah? We’ll give you a shout when we find something, OK?” 

The change in Donna’s demeanour after a cup of strong assam and a good chat with her Gramps was astonishing to the Doctor. He swelled with pride once more for his formidable companion, so gripped with fear for her family in one moment, then so righteously angry that they had been put in danger the next. She’d delighted in showing her Gramps around the wondrous ship, trying to explain the concept of a living machine, Wilf took it all in his stride for the most part, on returning to the console room though he set his eyes on the vaulted ceiling and asked the Doctor 

“So son, she’s a beauty I’ll give you that but I still don’t understand…...where’s the windows? All that space out there and you can’t see it pass by?” The Doctor was stumped, of all the questions he’d answered about the nature of his oldest companion, he wasn’t sure if windows had ever come up? 

“Do you know Wilf” the Doctor chuckled “I don’t know, she’s likely got some somewhere, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. I can see what’s surrounding us on the viewscreen, and I can’t really take the time to watch the scenery while I’m driving” 

The Doctor sounded thoughtful in his reply. Wilf thought he may have offended him and went to apologise but was stopped by a rush of emotion he was fairly certain wasn’t his own. He felt amused, surprised and exceptionally fond, the Doctor felt his ship trying to reassure Wilf no offence was taken and explained to him. 

“That’s her, she can talk to me n Jack more clearly but for you humans she relies more on feelings to get her point across” 

“Oh my word”, Wilf gasped and then laid his hand on the coral strut nearest to him “You’re an absolute marvel you know, looking after these lot and making an old man feel young again, aint much new to these old eyes but you are truly astounding, thank you”. The TARDIS sent another wash of joy and something like modest denial towards Wilf who chuckled and patted the strut he was leaning on before focusing on the Doctor once more. 

“Right then Sir, what’s the plan then?” and just like that they were back to saving the world.


	9. Broken Hearts

The Doctor was inwardly frantic, he had been repeatedly seeing Cybermen, Daleks, Rose, Jackie, Mickey, Jake and Pete when he checked on the timelines, but he was seeing no identifying information, no landmarks, no locations just hazy images that weaved in and out of each others paths. He had hidden his panic well enough he thought but he should have known better as Jack leaned up against his side, put an arm around his waist and whispered so only he could here. 

“We’re gonna be ok you know, trust me” The doctor was grateful to his young lover but he had no experience with these enemies past the game station, he had no idea the levels of inhumanity they could reach. Just as his panic was rising again Jack gently placed his fingertips to his temple and he saw flashing images of the time war, not his memories but someone else’s. Someone who had been captured, tortured, forced to fight and die over and over again by Timelords first and then Daleks. 

The Doctor nearly collapsed to his knees when he realised these were Jack’s memories, his Jack who was so young and seemingly unburdened had been snatched out of time and made to fuel experiments in meanwhiles and neverweres, forced to stay conscious and connected while version after version of him were sent into battle. Once his body and mind could take no more he had been sent himself only to be captured by the Daleks and made into a weapon, his mind unable to resist their controlling techniques after being so devastatingly abused. His torment was ended by a Time Lord, not himself, but another who had seen how hopeless the war had become and was doing their best to right any wrongs they could before the inevitable end. His gratitude to his fellow soldier was immeasurable. 

He heard Jack whisper again, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to tell you but, see, I know, some if not all, and I know we both survived that, and we’ll both survive this. We’re gonna be OK, I promise”. The Doctor was numb, how could he have missed the trauma in his lover’s mind, how did he not know? 

“We’re gonna talk later lad” he said sombrely but he tightened his grip on Jack’s hand and sent as much love as he could through their bond. Jack squeezed back then leaned away, returning the love but physically making ready to face this new challenge head on.


	10. Broken Bodies

Donna was angry, mad, furious, apoplectic with rage and any other suitable words she didn’t have time to think of. ‘How dare they? How could they not know this would end spectacularly badly? Who was that bloody naive? Bloody Ghosts her left foot!’ Torchwood Industries had acquired a government research grant to ascertain the exact nature of the sphere that wasn’t there and how it might relate to the peculiar energy readings coming from one of the uppermost floors of Canary Wharf. ‘Seriously, if I ever get my hands on the jobsworth that OK’d this project I’m gonna ram my foot so far up his..’ her mental tirade was cut off by yet another tinman shoving at her to move along the line towards her ‘upgrade’. ‘Yeah, you’ll get your’s ‘n all mate’ she narrowed her eyes at the robot “they’re not robots Donna” she remembered the Doctor trying to explain the frankly terrifying nature of these ‘cybermen’ and stopped herself before she thought too deeply on what was hiding inside the metal shell. ‘Stay mad’ she told herself, ‘don’t go getting all soft now, you need to get out of this queue and find the Doctor, Lord knows what trouble he’s getting himself into’. She spared a brief thought for her Gramps who she hoped had kept his promise to stay inside the TARDIS. The Doctor had spun him some half truth about having to keep someone on board so the old girl would maintain her shielding, preventing anyone from Torchwood getting their hands on her. Wilf had seen through his babble but answered honestly. 

“Don’t you worry son, young man’s game this saving the world lark, you go on, I’m sure you’re lovely lady can keep me company well enough, you never know, she might show me where she’s hidden the windows”. 

Donna was grateful for her Gramps understanding and the Doctor's consideration, in truth Wilf was as well as anyone else his age but he would likely have been left behind in any race for their lives. She couldn’t bear to think of him ending up in one of those metal suits. 

The Doctor was quickly losing patience, not only were Cybermen running round upgrading all and sundry, the void ship he’d seen in his nightmare visions was in the ruddy basement and now he was being hounded by hysterical employees, alternate versions of deadmen and one very peeved mother who, it transpired had been working as a cleaner in the building. He almost wished the Daleks would shoot him now so he could play dead for a while and get this lot to leave him be! After a swift visit to the alternate universe with Mickey, Jake and Jack that did nothing to cheer him up and a very tense conversation with a now slightly less peeved, more rational mother he’d just about figured out how to save both universes when he was assaulted by a screaming banshee in pink and yellow. 

“I found you, you came back and I found you, I knew it, I knew you wouldn’t leave me!” The Doctor sighed heavily and Jack raised an amused eyebrow, he quickly schooled it back to serious when the Doctor shot him a very unimpressed look. 

“Rose” the Doctor's voice was cold and he did little to disguise his lack of joy at this reunion. “Rose!” he repeated louder this time, “ROSE! Let me go and go to your mother this minute” this finally broke through the wall of delusion the young girl had built and she shrank back guiltily, she didn’t however, let go, or join her mother. 

“Rose, I didn’t come back for you, I came to stop the Cybermen and now the Daleks. You need to let me go and get as far away as possible. You’re all in danger here” at his last remark he raised his eyes to look at the whole group. 

Mickey caught his eye and waved a spare dimension jumper at him, he gave a slight nod and started maneuvering himself and therefore Rose into a suitable position. Pete took hold of Jackie’s elbow and leaned in to whisper in her ear. Tears sprang into her eyes and a wide smile graced her features, shaving a good ten years from her looks. Rose let the Doctor go but stayed close to his side. 

“But you came back” she started, her voice high and petulant, “why else would you come back if not to save me? You knew I couldn’t stand living this life again. I can help stop these Cybermen, really, like old times? Then you can take me away again, all of time and space you said. You love me Doctor, I know now you were trying to protect me from the Shadow woman but it’s been ages, they’ll have stopped watching by now, we can be together again, properly this time.” 

The Doctor was shocked, angry and just plain tired after listening to Rose’s delusional rant. He spared an apologetic look at Mickey who had tried to warn him. He was about to try and bring her back to reality again when Jack beat him to it. 

“Hi, Rose was it? Captain Jack Harkness, pleased to meet you, couldn’t help but notice though” Jack paused and took the Doctor's hand in his own, “you were getting mighty friendly with my man there and, not that I don’t understand the attraction, really I do, but I don’t share, he doesn’t look like he particularly wants to either so, breathe deep, get a hold of yourself and BACK OFF”. 

Jack had started of in his usual flirty tone, his last sentence however was cold and menacing and both Mickey and Jake subconsciously took steps back. Rose’s face had gone the colour of ripe strawberries and she was opening her mouth to speak when Mickey slipped the dimension jumper over her neck and pressed, Rose, Jackie, Jake, Mickey and Pete disappeared into the void, crossing into what was or would be their home universe.


	11. Steel Backbones

Donna reached the void floor just as Mickey and a group of vaguely familiar faces disappeared. “Oi! Spacemen!” she called out, “who were all they then? Second thoughts, tell me later, what’s the plan? These tinmen want stopping as soon as, and those ruddy pepperpots need a good slap I can tell you!” The Doctor smiled broadly, trust Donna to get to the heart of the matter. 

“Yep, right, plan, well. Jack n me are gonna force the connection to the void open on this side, Pete and his team are gonna close their side, and anything carrying void energy with them will get sucked in, we close up this side when they’re all gone and bish, bash, bosh, oh, never using that again, no more end of the world.” The Doctor swung his arms wide as he finished his exposition. Donna and Jack both looked at him with almost identical frowns. 

“Righto, sounds good, liking the plan except for one small thing Doctor” Donna’s voice had dipped dangerously low, “WE’RE all carrying void energy! We’ll be sucked in as well!” she yelled “Great big, outer space, dunce” She muttered to herself to finish off. 

“Weellll, yeah, we are but that’s what these are for” he held up two dumbbell looking lumps of metal. “Wait” he said before either of them could ask about them, “How did you know that? You said you couldn’t remember, Donna?” Donna gave him a look which clearly showed now was not the time and he back-pedalled “Right, yeah, not the point, point is that these are mag lifts, very powerful magnets that we can attach to those blocks there, hold onto these and the handles for the void controls and we’ll be stuck fast, no problems” Donna looked exasperated but more comfortable with the plan, Jack too seemed mollified. 

“Right well, it’s a start, a couple of tweaks and we’re good” Donna pulled out her mobile and dialled her Gramps “ Gramps, you ok?...Yeah we’re all ok, ...no, not quite but nearly, Gramps could you perhaps persuade the old girl to direct you to some climbing gear, good strong ropes, harness, carabiners and 3 pairs of crampons, ….oh she really is a darlin’......yeah tell her so from me too will ya, you stay there I’ll be down in 5….she’s what...oh, well, no worries then” 

Donna hung up the phone just as the familiar sound of the TARDIS engines materialising behind her. Donna turned and moved towards the door, she pushed inside and was back out moments later carrying the required equipment. “Righto Gramps, you just gotta sit tight a little bit longer, it’s about to get messy in here alright, we’ll be as quick as we can, love you!” 

As soon as Donna had finished her goodbye and closed the door the TARDIS was de-materialising again, there was a faint “Righto, love you too my girl” as the ship faded completely from sight. The Doctor decided now was not the time for working that one out either and set to relieving Donna of some of her burden. 

“You’re heavier than us two right, individually I mean, not combined?” she asked the Doctor, “Mhmm” he replied non committally, “stronger too I’m betting, what with all that Time Lord superiority?” 

“Yeah, so?” 

“So Spaceman, you’re gonna put on the harness an’ set yourself up to belay me n Jack, get these on your feet and get a good foothold.” She passed him a pair of crampons “Me n Jack’ll grab a mag lift each, tie ourselves into you, get our own studs on and take a handle each. That way we’re all tethered and got that much more chance of staying right side of the lock yeah?” Donna finished her explanation with a flourish of rope work leaving herself and Jack tied to the Doctor. She pointed at the far wall, “Set yourself up there so you can brace yourself on the door frame and we’ll get into position” 

The Doctor felt he should really say something but, honestly, what good would it do? He set himself up, scanning the door-frame for structural integrity and finding the strongest points that would hold him, and potentially Jack and Donna on their own side of the void. Jack and Donna had moved into position and engaged their mag lifts, he signalled to them. 

“I’ll count you down, Good luck, and HOLD ON! Pull the handles in 5,....4,....3,....2,....1 now!" 

Jack and Donna pulled and the Void began dragging any affected objects back inside. Donna cringed as Cybermen whizzed by, mourning for the humans who’d died for their creation. More and more bodies were flying by, Cybermen and Daleks alike, her hand slipped and she had to pull herself back up the handle, a task made infinitely easier by the spikes on her feet meaning she could use her legs to push as well as her arms to pull. There was a flash of light across from her and she was mightily perplexed by the sudden arrival of a familiar looking teenage blonde in the middle of the room. Her puzzlement was soon replaced by rage when she saw what the girl was trying to do.


	12. Hearts and Minds

“Get off me you crazy broad!” 

“Oi blondie, ger’off himf” 

“Rose, No!” 

Came the simultaneous cries. Rose was tearing at Jack's hands, screaming. 

“What’ve you done to him? He loves me! You go and live in that poxy fake world, I'm staying with him!” 

Jack's grip had slid from the mag lift and he and the Doctor were both wrapping their ends of the rope round an arm each in an effort to stay together. As suddenly as she’d appeared Rose disappeared again, this time in the arms of her alternate dad. Donna and the Doctor both screamed at Jack to “Hold on!” Jack sarcastically replied “I Know!” as the voids pull finally began to lose strength. 

As the wall stabilised once more the three all slumped to the floor, panting heavily and de-tangling themselves from their ties. Donna made it to Jack first, wrapping him in a full body hug and whispering soothing nonsense in his ear, probably to calm herself as much as him. The Doctor appeared to be in shock, he was still in a heap on the floor, eyes staring into nothing and hands gripping the rope so tightly his knuckles were white. Jack recovered quickest and gave Donna a grateful squeeze before attempting to pry her off him, he looked over to the Doctor and redoubled his efforts. 

“Donna, hey Red, it’s OK, I’m alright, Donna, doll, you gotta let me go, c’mon, people will talk” Jack aimed for levity and succeeded in getting a snort/sniffle from the clingy woman. She relaxed her hold and followed Jack’s gaze to the Doctor's still slumped form. 

“Sorry, sorry, you go see to him, I’m gonna check on Gramps, see you down there yeah?” Donna stood, straightened her hair and clothes, collected as much of the climbing gear as she could and headed out of the room. She cursed her full hands as she passed the Doctor, suddenly feeling the need to offer a comforting touch, she settled with a quiet, “he’s fine Spaceman, all in one piece” before setting off again to make sure her Gramps had kept his word and stayed safe on the TARDIS. 

Jack made his way to the Doctor and gaining no response to his gentle “hey there gorgeous” he manipulated the Doctor's unresisting arms around his own waist and huddled into his loose body, humming a soothing song and rocking himself lightly. The Doctor came back to awareness gradually. His arms tightened around the body next to his until Jack had to offer a small squeak to indicate they were tight enough. He loosened them slightly and placed a gentle kiss on Jack’s forehead. 

“Why did she do that? Why Jack, I swear I never gave her any reason to think I loved her like that, I swear” The Doctor’s voice had a panicked tone, as if he expected Jack to blame him for Rose’s obsession. 

“I know love, I Know, she’s obviously a troubled girl, she fixated on you, obsession and fear do strange things to perfectly lovely people, it’s not your fault” the Doctor grunted his disagreement “it’s not, she was young and starstruck but you did nothing wrong, ok? Look at me, please? Let me see those eyes” the Doctor looked up “there you are, now, are we going to head home? Not that this isn’t lovely but my arms ache, my shoulders hurt, my ass has divorced me and I would kill for a long hot shower ‘bout now yeah? You can scrub my back if you’re good” Jack purred the last sentence into the Doctor's ears and hoped the offer would be enough to chivvy the Doctor out of his moroseness.

The Doctor snapped to action, grabbing Jack under his knees and shoulders he stood and lifted him in one smooth movement. Jack’s arms automatically went around the Doctor's neck and just as he was going to, not sincerely, protest the Doctor tightened his grip and all but growled to him. 

“You’re the one I want Jack, only you, you’re mine and I’ll be damned if anyone’s gonna take you from me, certainly not some demented bint with Daddy issues. I’ll scrub your back alright, then I’m gonna keep you on it until you forget all about anything but me!” 

The Doctor was striding determinedly back towards the TARDIS and, loathe though he was to admit it, Jack was shivering in anticipation after those possessive words from his troubled lover. They entered the TARDIS and without stopping the Doctor walked up to the console, still carrying Jack, raised a long leg to kick the lever releasing them into the vortex and headed back towards the corridor where their room was waiting. 

“Sorry Red!” Jack shouted back to a bemused Donna, “this might take a while, entertain yourself for a while yeah?” 

The Doctor grunted again as they disappeared from view and Donna was shaken from her daze by her Gramps low chuckle. 

“I remember them days, when I got back from my last posting your nan didn’t let me out the house for a week! Not that I minded much” he continued chuckling even after Donna’s shocked “Gramps!” 

“C’mon my girl, they’re gonna have quite the appetite later, let’s head to the kitchen and rustle up some dinner eh? Could murder a cuppa too, Donna, c’mon love, they won’t miss us!” he chuckled again as Donna followed him towards the galley, muttering under her breath about “randy spacetarts” and it being “alright for some”.

On a desolate beach, in another universe, a distraught young woman was screaming at the sky.


End file.
